BEIRUT, Aug. 12 (Xinhua)--Lebanon received a report from diplomatic sources
saying that the United States would seize by force several airports in Arab
states when it launches a war against Iraq, the An Nahar newspaper reported
on Monday.

The report said that US President George W. Bush would unleash the military
offensive in January 2003 as he has to wait the outcome of the midterm elections
of the Congress in November. ``Bush prefers to have Arab support for his war
to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the US forces would have facilities
in several neighboring Arab airports,'' the report said.

''At any rate,'' it stressed, ``once zero hour comes, Bush will give the orders
to use Arab airports by force for the military operation against Iraq if the
need arises.'' Bush argued that without the US interference, the Arab countries,
the Arab League and the UN Security Council would not have been able to oust
the invading Iraqi troops from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War.

Meanwhile, the report revealed that the Bush administration has allowed Israel
to strike back in the upcoming confrontation against Iraq if the Arab country
fires Scud missiles at Israel like it did in 1991.

The report suggested that the Arab world should take the US war preparations
against Iraq ``very seriously'' and recommended a diplomatic offensive by Lebanon
to consolidate Pan-Arab camp.